Madrid: Our first days!

Hi everyone! My name is Kevin, and this is the story of how my life has been since making it to Madrid. To start, I’d be remiss to not say how nervous I was leading up to this trip. I had traveled before with my family, but this study abroad was truly the first time I would be traveling to a different country completely on my own. I didn’t know how I’d adapt to a new culture, being so far removed from the comfort I had allowed myself to accustom myself to. Safe to say, however, that these last few weeks have been some of the greatest of my life.

We first touched-down in Madrid in early January. While some may assume that because Spain is in winter-time like back at home in New York, that the weather would be freezing, but to my amazement, it has been like living in a summer break movie over here. After first arriving in the early hours, and a much needed nap, I and a couple of friends decided to explore all what Madrid had to offer.

Being in a new country, everything can be extremely overwhelming. What do we see? How do we get around? All of these questions filled my mind, but was quickly put to rest by a wonderful lady Rocio. Rocio is our program director while we’re here, and she also doubles up as our parental figure while ours are home. She showed us around the university we’d be studying at, which, by the way, is incredibly large, and also got us our metro-cards that we could use to explore all of Madrid. After our walking tour, a couple of us within the group went to go visit Buen Retiro Parque, which lies in the south of Madrid. At this park, we were able to witness the liveliness Madrid had to offer. Performance artist showing of their incredible skills to crowds of tens to hundreds of people, vendors selling a variety of snacks. After grabbing some food, we continued our walk to the center of the park. Here in the center, there is a service in which you can rent a boat for an hour. We jumped at the idea, and took to the water, soaking in the warmth from the sun. 

Here below is the Royal Palace of Madrid. I got the chance of checking it during our “Old Madrid” walking tour. Sadly we didn't catch any royals this day, but hey there’s always next time 

Along with this, we got the opportunity to stop inside a cathedral during a service. The art was impeccable, and the environment was overall very welcoming.

     

The following weekend, a couple of friends and I decided to head to the Prado museum. Here below are just some of the snapshots I was able to grab.   

 

Last weekend, my friend Gabby and I decided to head to the flea market, held every Sunday, in Tiros de Molina. The market was teeming with life, music filled the air, and there was something for every person. From tapestries, to leather jackets, to cool antiques; it was a center of everything and anything you could want.

This is only the beginning. I cannot wait to continue to see what is up next for me while here in Madrid. In the upcoming weeks, I’m planning on traveling to London, Stuttgart, and Paris. So until next time, stay tuned!